Adventures in puppy sitting
by jolly roger brat
Summary: Co-written with theblindwriter95. Amber and James offer to puppy sit Buddy while Sofía has an extended Braille lesson with Cedric, thinking that with him being a guide dog, it'll be easy. Unfortunately for them, Buddy still has a instinct to act like well a puppy, making mischief along the way. A three shot.
1. Chapter 1

It had only been two months since Sofía had gotten her guide dog Buddy, who was sniffing the ground as Amber and James walked beside them.

The twins knew that Sofía treasured the puppy, since he made it easier for her to navigate her sightless world and less insecure about her blindness.

The Rebecca incident didn't help her about it before. It had only made it worse.

But that was now in the past as Buddy yelped and tugged on Sofia's dress.

"What is it, Buddy?" Sofía asked, not understanding why he had tugged on her dress.

"Let's play, Sofia! Let's play!" Buddy yipped, wiggling under her hand as she tried to pet him.

"Play what?" Sofia asked.

"You want to play with Buddy?" James asked. "No problem, Sof." He handed her an old ball he used with Rex, and helped her throw it.

Buddy yipped excitedly and ran after it. He dropped it at Sofia's feet. "Again!"

"Good boy, Buddy!" Sofia smiled, sensing his excitement. "James, can I try throwing the ball myself?"

"Go ahead, Sof," James agreed. "I'll let you know if you're close to anything."

Under James' careful navigation, Sofia threw the ball for Buddy, who caught it again.

Buddy dropped it at her feet, wagging his tail happily. "Again! Again!" he barked excitedly, accidentally pushing Sofia to the ground.

"Sorry, Buddy!" Sofía laughed with a smile, feeling him lick her face. "I almost forgot about my lesson with Mr. Cedric today."

"It's that long one. Isn't it?" Buddy whimpered, nuzzling against her.

"It's all right, Buddy," Sofia smiled as she felt Amber help her up. "I won't be gone that long."

"Do you want us to watch Buddy for you, Sof?" James asked.

"Would you?" Sofia asked.

"Of course we will," Amber smiled. "We know you're really working hard on your Braille lessons, and you get better after each session."

"Besides, Buddy probably wouldn't want to lay on the floor the entire time," James smirked, petting Buddy behind the ears.

"And he'll be easy to watch," Amber added as Sofia sensed her smile.

"You think so?" Sofia asked.

"I've had Rex since he was a puppy, and Buddy's the same age he was when I got him," James reasoned. "I know it won't be the same, but Rex can help us, since he's Buddy's big brother."

"Alright," Sofia smiled, hugging her siblings close. "I trust you two with Buddy. I really do."

Buddy yelped, licking her hand, making James and Amber laugh at him being affectionate with his owner.

"Come on, we have to get Sofia to Cedric!" Amber giggled, having Buddy stop in his tracks.

"Why don't you take her, Amber? I'll take Rex and Buddy for a quick walk, and we'll be back by the time you come back," James suggested.

"Okay," Amber agreed, and she and Sofia went off.

"Rex!" James called. He grinned as Rex bounded over to him. He was just about to jump on James, when he called, "Who wants to go for a walk?"

Rex and Buddy barked happily as James put their leashes on them and took them around the castle courtyard.

"Sofia has a lesson today?" Rex guessed from Buddy's sorrow expression.

"Yeah. I know that Cedric has to help her, but I don't like it," Buddy whimpered as Rex licked him.

"But it's important. How do you think she'd be able to read?" Rex barked, careful not to chase anything in his path.

"I know, but sometimes her lessons go so long that she falls asleep and can't play with me," Buddy sighed. "I want her to be able to read, but I just wish it didn't take so long."

"Don't worry, Buddy; you know I'll always play with you, and so will James and Amber," Rex assured him. "You always have fun with them, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I love jumping on James!" Buddy smiled. "But I do try to be careful when I'm around Amber. I know she doesn't like that game as much."

"No she doesn't!" Rex laughed before noticing a squirrel. "Must chase!"

"Right behind you!" Buddy yelped, wanting to play with the squirrel too.

"Bad dogs!" James groaned, chasing after the two.

"Sofia would tell you that there's no such thing as bad dogs," Amber smiled, seeing them run around. It turned into a grin when Rex and Buddy jumped on James and knocked him down, covering him with doggie kisses.

"We're not bad, are we, James?" Buddy asked, licking him in the face.

"He can't talk to us like Sofia can, but we're not bad," Rex grinned, licking James' forehead.

"Come on, guys! Stop!" James begged good naturedly as Buddy sniffed him.

"They must think you're a treat," Amber grinned with a smirk.

"They do know sweet things when they see them!" James laughed under Rex.

"But I'm over here, and they're licking you!" Amber smiled. She couldn't help laughing herself; this was just like how it was when they were little. The dogs would want to play with her and James, and James would try to save her. She'd end up with muddy pawprints on her dress while the dogs would surround James and lick him.

After Rex had tired himself out from playing with James, Buddy gently licked him before looking around and spotting the door to the castle.

He knew that he couldn't disrupt Sofia from her work even though he wanted to, sniffing the ground of the castle halls before making his way to Sofia's room, spotting her doll Maryanne in a corner from where Sofia had played with her earlier in the day.

Buddy knew he wasn't supposed to play with the doll, but that didn't stop him from licking her, sniffing her, and curling up next to her. He was happy to be near something that at least smelled like Sofia.

James and Amber found Buddy on Sofia's bed and sat on either side of him, scratching his ears and stroking him. "You're a good boy, Buddy. You've come so far since you became Sofia's guide dog," Amber smiled.

"He does a brilliant job helping her get around, that's for sure," James agreed.

Buddy barked happily at the compliment before looking at Maryanne again.

The brown hair reminded him of Sofia. That caused him to whimper before putting Maryanne in his mouth.

To him, she was probably missing Sofia too.

"Hold it, Buddy," Amber scolded gently, "You know Sofia's doll isn't a chew toy."

"He probably misses her," James reasoned. "I remember one time at Royal Prep after I got Rex, Dad told me that Rex didn't move from his spot after the coach took us to school. He didn't eat anything all day. He finally snapped out of it when we got back, and that night, I told him that I'd missed him too, and in art that day, I drew a picture of him, since we had to draw our favorite animal."

"I remember that," Amber smiled as she stroked Buddy. "But what can we do for Buddy? He can't draw."

"Maybe not, but we can," James smiled. "And I know, he's colorblind, but he can recognize Sofia, or at least a picture of her."

Buddy barked at the idea, dropping Maryanne to the ground before picking her up again.

"Until then, Maryanne is her replacement," Amber smiled a little before kneeling down towards Buddy. "Don't chew on Maryanne. You'll upset Sofia if you do."

Buddy nodded softly, gently biting on Maryanne's string hair.

"He'll be fine as long as he doesn't get into mischief," James smirked, stroking behind Buddy's ears.

"And maybe I can make Buddy a doll that looks like Maryanne, and another one that looks like Sofia," Amber suggested. "That way, Buddy won't have to keep playing with Sofia's original doll. Violet says I've gotten a lot better at sewing."

"I can help you," James offered.

"Since when do you do needlework?" Amber smirked.

"Remember when we were five and I had to have my tonsils out?" James asked. "I was so bored up in my room that Mom and Violet came up to keep me company. They taught me how to sew, since that was what Mom sometimes did when she was sick and couldn't talk."

Amber smiled. She'd almost forgotten about that. "You made that little rag monkey doll," she remembered. "Then when you lost your voice at the funeral, when I came up with your ice cream and orange juice, you were working on a little vest for him."

Carrying Maryanne in his mouth, Buddy had walked out of the room as the twins talked, wondering what to do.

With Rex asleep, there wasn't much Buddy could do except wander, and wander he did as the puppy found himself outside. Carefully putting Maryanne to the ground, he started to dig.

Rex had taught him how to dig, and he sometimes would dig for Sofia so she could feel the dirt with her fingers.

As Buddy started digging, he made sure to keep the dirt away from Maryanne. Sofia wouldn't be happy if she got dirty, even if someone could clean her.

A few moments into his digging, Buddy gave an excited yelp as he found what looked like a good-sized bone. It might have been one that Rex buried, but he wanted to pull it out anyway. When he dug it out, Buddy smiled as he started chewing on it.

While he chewed, Buddy glanced at Maryanne before placing the bone in her lap. "We can share it," Buddy smiled, gently licking the doll.

"There he is!" James called from the distance, having the puppy curl up next to Maryanne.

"Buddy, what are you doing?" Amber smiled. "Did you find that bone and now you're sharing it with your friend?"

Buddy barked happily, nudging Maryanne toward Amber.

"Thank you!" Amber smiled, taking the doll in her arms and brushing off the dirt.

Buddy nudged the bone toward James. "I found this too!" he yipped happily. "I'm going to share it with Rex!"

"Is that yours?" James asked, scratching him behind the ears. "You and Rex can share that!"

"We can?!" Buddy yipped before remembering something important: James and Amber couldn't speak puppy like Sofia could, so he started tugging at Amber's dress.

"You want to know if you can share it with Rex?" Amber smiled, scratching Buddy's ears. "Of course you can! That's probably why Rex buried it, so you could find it and the two of you could share it."

James smiled as he remembered seeing Rex with that big bone. He wondered if he was going to share it with Buddy when he first buried it, but he knew he didn't have anything to worry about. Rex and Buddy had been friends since the day they had been introduced.

He knew that they played together and took naps together, but James had to remember that Rex was an older dog and didn't have as much as training as Buddy when it came to energy.

However, it didn't mean that Buddy was the perfect one of the two, as the puppy demonstrated that by running off in search of something to chew on.

"I'll keep Maryanne in my pocket for now," James suggested. "Sofia wouldn't be happy if she got lost."

"Good idea," Amber agreed, handing the doll over to him. "You've got bigger pockets in your coat than I do in my dress anyway. But we should still keep an eye on both dogs."

"Like we should with Buddy?" James asked, noticing that the puppy had ran off.

"Sofia will never forget us if he's lost!" Amber groaned, sighing in frustration.

"Luckily, I think I know where he's gone," James smiled, pointing toward Rex's doghouse.

Amber followed him, and she smiled when she saw Buddy cuddled up with one of Rex's toys.

"He'll get into mischief eventually," James smirked, peering behind Amber. "Rex did as a puppy."

"Believe me I do," Amber said, rolling her eyes. "And so does Dad..."

"So he got into an important document Dad had to sign! Buddy knows better than to do that!" James chuckled, looking down at the puppy. "Right?"

Buddy looked up at James and started to tug at his sleeve a bit roughly than usual.

"And Sofia's right, we need to work on Buddy's social graces," Amber smiled. "Sure, he bows in her curtsy class, but he needs a little more discipline. But if Buddy did get into one of Daddy's documents, we all know who can fix it!"

"You know I can," James grinned, scratching Buddy behind the ears.

"Oh, James," Amber smirked, playfully rolling her eyes.

Buddy stopped tugging on James' sleeve as he spotted a butterfly and began to chase after it.

"Hopefully he's careful enough to watch out for the mud puddles that came from last night's rain," James said, getting a little nervous about Amber and him watching Buddy. "And we know how Sof tried to feel the raindrops by opening her window before she went to sleep."

"That was probably why she got sick," Amber mused, "She got wet in the rain, and slept in her cold, wet bed."

"One of these days, she'll learn," James agreed. "But I hope she learns her lesson before she catches her death of cold!"

"That's not funny, but I know what you mean," Amber agreed.

James nodded, knowing that since the accident to never joke about Sofia feeling in any way.

Realizing that Buddy was gone, the twins saw a trail of muddy paw prints leading inside the castle.

"Please don't be up with Cedric and Sofia, Buddy," James murmured.

"Please don't be in the throne room," Amber murmured.

They were both wrong, but in a way, James was right. They followed the muddy paw prints to Sofia's room.

"Okay. At least he's safe," Amber sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but the hallway leading up to Sof's room is a muddy mess," James added, "But I'll clean it up while you keep an eye on Buddy."

"Good idea," Amber agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

James was just finishing up cleaning Buddy's mud trail when he saw Roland coming up to him. "Dad, I can explain..." he started.

"No need," Roland chuckled, mussing his hair, "I've seen you do that following Rex's adventures before, and so it's only natural that Buddy would do the same thing."

"He's just sad that Sof can't play with him," James explained, "Amber and I found him in her room, and she's keeping him company. We're going to make him a doll that looks like her so next time she has to have a long lesson with Cedric, Buddy can still have something that reminds him of her."

"Isn't that sweet of you?" Roland smiled, imagining the scene in his head.

"You're imagining Buddy carrying the Sofia doll in his mouth, aren't you?" James guessed with a chuckle.

"Oh, yes," Roland smiled, "And do you remember working on that little monkey doll after you had your tonsils removed? You showed Rex what you were doing, and he thought it was something for him to play with! He grabbed that too! Everyone thought it was so funny watching you chase Rex and whisper for him to come back. But fortunately, no real harm had been done."

Meanwhile, Amber came up with her own idea to keep Buddy occupied, even though she'd normally never do anything like it. She led him to her room. "Come on, Buddy. I've got a new lesson for you," she spread out a little blanket on the floor and got out her tea set. "Would you like to have a tea party with me, Buddy?"

Buddy barked happily. "I've never played tea party! What do we do?" He had just finished the question when he remembered that Amber couldn't speak puppy like Sofia could, but he also knew that she and James could usually guess at what he was saying.

"The next time Sofia takes you to school, you can surprise everyone with your good manners," Amber smiled.

Buddy gave her a noise of confusion, sniffing the tea set. It wasn't a threat, so he could trust it for the time being.

"Oh you want water?" Amber asked, stroking his fur.

Buddy barked happily, curling up next to the tea set.

Amber smiled as she gave him a bowl of water. She passed him a puppy biscuit and nodded when he gave her a little yip. "Good job, Buddy!" she smiled, pretending that he'd said 'thank you'.

"I'll show Sofia how good my manners are, Amber, you'll see!" Buddy smiled, carefully lapping up some water.

"Miranda, look at this," Roland whispered as he watched her.

"Isn't that adorable?" Miranda smiled.

"Amber used to do the same thing with Rex when she was younger," Roland smiled. "Although Buddy is much calmer than Rex was."

"That's because we trained him well," Amber smiled, scratching Buddy behind the ears.

Buddy yelped happily, sniffling Miranda's hand as she and Roland came into Amber's room before whining at the smell.

"You miss Sofia, don't you?" Miranda cooed softly, taking Buddy in her arms.

"Everything's going to be all right, Buddy," Roland assured him, scratching his ears. "I remember when Rex was your age. He hated being separated from James too."

"What happened?" Miranda asked.

"Rex would be sad that James was at school," Roland remembered. "He'd sniff around the castle, going into some of the rooms looking for something that smelled like James, or he'd curl up at my feet as I was working in my study." He smiled as he remembered sometimes finding Rex under his desk, and scratched his ears as he continued, "But I hear that James is going to make you a doll that looks like Sofia so you'll have something that reminds you of her."

Buddy licked his hand. He knew the doll wouldn't be exactly the same as having Sofia with him, but he understood that the family was trying to help him.

"We'll let you finish your tea party," Miranda smiled, putting Buddy down.

"But no more tracking mud into the castle!" Roland gently scolded as Buddy noticed the open door.

"I think James got it all," Amber smiled as they left. "He's always pretty fast when cleaning up after Rex, but at least Buddy didn't track a whole lot of mud in the castle."

"It took a little while, but all the mud's cleaned up," James added. "Now Buddy, how would you like to see the doll I'm making? It looks just like Sofia!"

Buddy gave a happy little yip, did his bowing trick for Amber, and followed James out of the room.

Amber shook her head playfully, smiling to herself as she started to put away her tea set.

Buddy cuddled with Sir Blaze-a-Lot as he watched James get out the doll he was making. He couldn't stop staring at the doll, barking happily as Buddy soon found himself tugging on the doll's leg.

"Hold on, Buddy, you'll get to chew her in a little bit," James smirked as he gently wrestled her away, "Just do what I saw you doing with Amber and try to show a little patience."

Buddy whined a little, licking Sir Blaze-a-Lot's head, wondering, "Patient? How can I be patient when I miss Sofia?"

"I know what you're thinking, Buddy, but I promise everything's going to be fine," James smiled as he finished the doll. "Now all I have to do is borrow one of Amber's old doll dresses, and your Sofia doll will be all ready for you! And don't worry; Amber has so many doll dresses, but it shouldn't take her long to find one for your new friend."

Buddy whined again, finding himself chewing on Sir Blaze-a-Lot's head.

He couldn't help it. Sofia was gone, his best friend was asleep, and James wanted him to be patient.

James came back a minute later with a small purple dress in his hand. "Buddy, what do you think of...Buddy! No!"

Buddy looked up when he heard James' cry of dismay. "Uh oh..." he whimpered, seeing one of Sir Blaze-a-Lot's wings in his teeth, and the little dragon on the floor.

"It's okay, Buddy; Violet and I can fix him," James said as he picked the dragon and his wing up. "Rex did this when he was young too."

Hearing James' shout, Roland, Miranda, and Amber ran up. "James, what-" Roland started, then he knew what had happened. "Let me guess, Buddy vanquished his first dragon?" He put an arm around James. "Don't worry, James, I know you and Violet can fix him."

"Buddy, Sir Blaze-a-Lot is a friend, not food!" Amber scolded.

Buddy whined sadly as he lowered his head close to his paws.

He didn't mean to hurt James' dragon. He missed Sofia badly, letting out a small howl.

"It's okay, Buddy, like we said, Rex did the same thing with my toys, and he used to get into Amber's doll clothes all the time," James smiled as he scratched Buddy's head and remembered Rex with a doll dress on his nose.

"I'm sorry, James," Buddy whimpered, though he knew James couldn't understand him like Sofia could.

"Anyway, Buddy, I found this doll dress Amber doesn't use anymore, so I thought I'd put it on your doll," James continued, slipping the dress over the doll's head. "What do you think? Does this look more like Sofia?"

Buddy barked happily, seeing the tiny version of his best friend in James' hand. He licked the doll and jumped on James' lap, knocking him onto the bed as he started licking him.

"He forgives you," Amber smirked, stroking Buddy behind the ears. "Do you promise no more mischief?"

"I thought I was supposed to do that," Buddy barked happily, though he knew that she couldn't understand him, licking her hand.

"I'll take that as a yes," Amber smiled. She mussed James' hair as he tried to sit up and Buddy licked him again.

"You want your doll Buddy?" James asked with a laugh, holding it up in the air.

Buddy yelped happily, trying to claim the toy as his own.

"Okay! Here you go, Buddy!" James grinned, putting the Sofia doll next to him.

Buddy barked happily. "Thank you!" He knew James couldn't understand him, but James could tell he was happy with his new friend. He sniffed Sir Blaze-a-Lot and licked him. "But what about your dragon?"

"I'm glad you like your new friend, Buddy, but don't worry about Sir Blaze-a-Lot," James assured him, "When Sofia's done with her lesson, I'll take him to Violet and we'll fix him. But for now, we'll put him and his wing on my pillow and let him rest."

Buddy didn't understand that. Whenever Sofia got hurt, she usually had a bandage on her arm or leg, never requiring a bed.

But he wasn't confused for long, putting the head of the doll version of his best friend in his mouth.

"Buddy, I looked at the clock before I heard James," Amber said as she scratched his ears, "Sofia will be done with her lesson in about half an hour. If you want, we could have another tea party. We'll also invite your new friend to join us."

"That's a brilliant idea, Amber," James agreed. "But why don't I take Buddy outside and let him do his business first?"

"Good idea," Amber agreed.

After Buddy had done his business outside and gotten comments from the maids about his new friend, he carefully carried her in his mouth to Amber's room.

The doll couldn't respond but if she had anything to say, it would be "thank you" for being made and for cheering Buddy up.

James and Buddy met Amber in her room a few minutes later. "Room for two more at your tea party, Amber?" James smiled.

"Of course," Amber smiled, "Buddy was with me earlier and I taught him a few manners."

"Really?" James smirked. "This I want to see!"

"We'll show him, won't we, Buddy?" Amber grinned, scratching Buddy behind the ears.

Buddy yipped excitedly, eager to show James what Amber had taught him.

"Alright then show me," James smirked, taking the Sofia doll out of Buddy's mouth.

Buddy yipped, noticing his water bowl and another puppy biscuit as he gently lapped the water.

"Well didn't Sofia say that he needed social graces?" Amber asked with a smile.

"Yes, but when he starts asking you to pass the cookies, I'll know you've trained him really well," James smirked.

As if that was his cue, Buddy wagged his tail at Amber while looking at a plate of puppy biscuits and cookies, and gave a soft bark.

Amber smiled. "Good boy! Here you go, Buddy!" she said as she passed him a puppy biscuit.

James smirked as he scratched Buddy's ears. "Okay, smart guy, now let's see you pour a cup of tea and make tea party conversations!"

Buddy whined in confusion, not understanding what James talking about before taking the Sofia doll in his mouth.

"Oh, you want her to join you?" James smirked, stroking his fur. "Can't you wait for the real Sof?"

Buddy growled playfully, putting down the Sofia doll as he spotted one of Amber's on the floor.

"Didn't Sof put her away last night after she played with her?" James asked, watching Buddy nibble at the doll.

"Actually, James, I got her out again so I could teach Buddy how to make polite conversations," Amber explained, "I know he can't talk, but I know that's part of what happens at tea parties."

"Okay," James agreed. "And at least Buddy's getting better when it comes to tea lessons."

"Yeah," Amber nodded. "Remember when Sofia tried to pour the tea when she first brought Buddy to school?"

"Oh yeah," James smirked. "Buddy did pretty well until Sofia got up for her turn. I know he was trying to help her when she started pouring the tea, but when he barked, she was startled, and the tea spilled on the floor. But at least Buddy was there to clean it up, and Sofia got to try again!"

They couldn't help but laugh as Buddy sniffed the doll and barked at it, trying to make conversation with it.

It soon turned into frustration for the puppy who began to show his mischief side by picking up the doll and shaking her.

"Buddy, put her down," Amber said gently but firmly. "That's not how you treat guests at a tea party."

Dropping the doll, Buddy backed into James. "It's okay, Buddy, but Amber's right. You did really well until just now," he assured him, scratching his ears.

"The next time Sofia has a long lesson with Cedric, I'll give you some more lessons on manners," Amber agreed. "I'll even get some of my older dolls out so you can chew them."


	3. Chapter 3

Buddy tried to be on his best behavior, as a howl had him leave Amber's room.

Maybe Rex was awake, so they could play together until Sofia was finished.

But he remembered that Amber and James were watching him. Yet he was confused. Should he play with Rex, or stay with Amber and James until Sofia finished her lesson?

He thought he heard James tell him that Sofia had ten minutes left in her lesson. That didn't seem like a long time, so he decided to go to James' room with him and wait for Sofia.

He settled down on James' bed, watching as James took some thread and a needle. He put Sir Blaze-a-Lot on his lap and told Buddy a story as he worked on the little dragon.

Buddy was just about to drift off to sleep when he felt something soft brush against him. "You fixed him!" he smiled, seeing Sir Blaze-a-Lot fixed.

"And just like that, Buddy, our little friend Sir Blaze-a-Lot is fixed!" James smiled, scratching Buddy's head. "I didn't mean to wake you up, but I thought I should tell you that he's all better!"

Buddy licked Sir Blaze-a-Lot, then jumped on James and licked him.

"Hey!" James laughed, seeing Buddy's look of excitement. "I'm know you're happy, but don't chew on him anymore today."

"No chewing?" Buddy whined, not understanding what James meant.

"Sir Blaze-a-Lot just had major surgery, Buddy," James explained, "He needs time to recover. But tomorrow, he should be back to his old self."

"But I've got to chew on something!" Buddy whined, looking around.

"You look like you want to chew something, so how about this?" James grinned, pulling out a good-sized rawhide bone. "I was going to give it to Rex, but you look like you need it more than he does. But don't worry, you two can still share it."

"Thank you, James!" Buddy smiled, gnawing on the bone.

"And while you're busy with that, how would you like another story?" James suggested.

Buddy yipped happily, resting the bone between his paws.

As a puppy, he needed to chew on things. Even if chewing on toys had gotten Buddy into trouble within the last two months.

That and Clover's bed, but he had been lucky with that one, as the rabbit had told him that it was an older bed that he no longer used.

Buddy remembered the activity the rabbit had shown him that morning before waking up Sofia, which involved gnawing on some of her unwanted shoes.

Fortunately, Sofia had been understanding, and she had willingly given Buddy some of her older shoes that she didn't wear anymore. She knew Amber had been shocked, but Sofia had also said "Better mine than yours, right?"

Luckily for her, Amber understood, since Rex had done the same thing with some of her older shoes when he was Buddy's age, and even offered to give him some of her older shoes that she didn't wear anymore.

A playful growl got Buddy out of the memory as he watched James pet Rex behind the ears.

"Guess who woke up during our story?" James grinned, having Buddy bark in surprise

"Rex! James was telling me a story! Do you want to hear it too?" Buddy asked.

"I've heard James' stories, and I like them as much as you do," Rex assured him, "But I see you've got a new bone. Can I share it?"

"Sure!" Buddy smiled, letting Rex gnaw on it.

"You're not only good at helping Sof, but a good friend to Rex," James smiled, scratching Buddy behind the ears.

"That is true," Amber added, coming into the room. "Sofia won't be down for a few extra minutes."

I'm guessing that Cedric is giving her a treat of some kind," James smirked as Amber playfully rolled her eyes.

"Well, Sofia does like the occasional fly cake after her lessons with Cedric," Amber smiled.

"True," James grinned as he scratched Rex behind the ears with one hand, and Buddy with the other.

"Careful. They'll lick you," Amber smirked, coming over to Rex and Buddy.

Buddy sniffed her before licking her hand, whining a little as he thought of Sofia.

"It's okay, Buddy, we don't mind it if you lick us," James smiled, scratching Buddy's ears again.

As if that was their cue, Buddy stood up on his hind legs, put his front paws on James' chest, and licked him on the nose. At the same time, Rex licked James on the side.

"Told you!" Amber smirked, mussing James' hair.

"Told him what?" Sofia asked, bumping into her sister.

"Nothing. But you have crumbs on your dress," Amber frowned before helping Sofia brush them off.

"I thought I got rid of it," Sofia said in embarrassment as she sneezed.

"Don't worry, Sof, you know Rex and Buddy can help get rid of crumbs on your dress," James grinned as Rex and Buddy licked the crumbs off of her dress.

"Sofia! You're back! I missed you!" Buddy yipped happily.

"Hi, Buddy, I missed you too," Sofia smiled. "My lesson was longer than what I thought it would be. And it's dusty in Mr. Cedric's workshop because I don't go up there as much."

"But he understands why," Amber assured her as Sofia sneezed again.

"If you want me to go up with you and clean up while you two have your next lesson, let me know," James offered, recalling how he used to work nonstop around the castle. Along with working constantly on papers, he remembered how he'd also go up to Cedric's workshop and straighten up.

"I'll have to ask him about that, James, but I have a feeling he'd say yes," Sofia smiled, thinking that it would give Cedric one less thing to think about while he was helping her.

Buddy yipped, bringing Sofia his doll so she could feel better. He knew that she wasn't sick, and it was more of allergies that she'd been sneezing, but he wanted her to feel the doll and maybe cuddle her.

"Thank you, Buddy," Sofia smiled, feeling the new figure. "What's this?"

"Amber and I made that doll for him, so he could have something that reminds him of you next time you have a long lesson with Cedric," James explained.

"James actually made her, but I gave her one of my old doll dresses," Amber agreed.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to play dolls now!" Sofia smiled. "But was he good while I was gone?"

"Not too bad," James smirked, musing her hair.

"Not too bad?" Sofia repeated, a little confused.

"He tracked a little mud in the castle, but I cleaned it up," James explained, "And he vanquished my dragon Sir Blaze-a-Lot, but I fixed him and now he's resting after his surgery."

"Well, James, you tell Sir Blaze-a-Lot I hope he feels better," Sofia smiled.

"He will, but Sofia, I have to tell you something," Amber smiled, "I've also been teaching Buddy some manners, so the next time we go to school, he can show everyone what he's been learning."

"I'll believe that when I hear it," Sofia grinned.

Buddy barked, sitting down as he wagged his tail, sniffing Sofia's hand and happily licked it.

"He's missed you too," James grinned, scratching Buddy behind the ears.

"He always whined whenever he sniffed something or someone that smelled like you," Amber added, seeing Sofia's eyes drip a little.

"I'm sorry, Buddy; I didn't mean to make you upset," Sofia murmured.

"Like we said, he was pretty well behaved except for a few little misadventures," Amber smiled.

"But it wasn't anything we couldn't fix," James added. He smiled as Buddy knocked Sofia to the ground. "But he's a puppy and puppies—"

"Often make trouble!" Sofia giggled under Buddy's kisses.

"But Buddy does make our lives more interesting," James grinned as Buddy jumped on him next.

"It's one of the many things we love about him," Amber giggled as Buddy jumped on her.

"I think he's saying thank you for taking care of him for me!" Sofia giggled, putting a hand to her lips.

"We thought we heard laughing in here," Roland smirked, mussing Sofia's hair.

"Are you three having fun with Buddy?" Miranda smiled as she helped Sofia sit up.

"It's always fun when Buddy's around," James grinned as Buddy jumped on him again. "And Rex too!" He added as Rex nudged him with his nose.

"But would you puppy sit Buddy again?" Sofia smirked as she felt her siblings' grins. "You will?"

"Like James said, Buddy is fun to be around," Amber smiled, stroking Sofia's hair.

"And Amber said he's learning manners, so maybe he'll be calmer the next time we need to watch him," James added. "But still, you know we'll take care of Buddy if you need a puppy-sitter."

"Thanks, guys," Sofia smiled. "I knew I could count on you!"

"That's right," Amber smiled, "Now, who's up for one of Cedric's famous fly cakes?"

"I think we could both use one after all this," James grinned.

"I do like Mister Cedric's fly cakes," Sofia smiled, "And I think Buddy might like one too!"

"And yes, Rex, I'll share mine with you too," James smirked as he scratched Rex behind the ears.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Buddy yipped.

"I think this means he really wants one!" Sofia giggled as Buddy started to lead her away.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting!" Amber smiled as she led the way back to Cedric's workshop.

The End


End file.
